Something made you search tonight. A daycare educator said a careful sentence. Your 15-month-old doesn't point. Words that were there last month are gone. A relative asked a question you can't stop hearing.
You do not need to be sure before you act. The gap between "signs are visible" and "a diagnosis is given" is years long in Quebec, and that gap is your window. The pages below are short on purpose. Read the first two, then do the one thing at the bottom of each.
Two things to hold onto tonight:
- Parental concern is itself a validated signal. Clinicians who study early development take "a parent is worried" seriously, and so should the next professional you see.
- Asking for a referral is not a verdict. It is a place in a queue. You can always step out of it later.